The present invention relates to a spool brake device for use in a fishing reel, and, in particular, to an improvement for a spring used not only to prevent an adjust member of the spool brake device from being loosened but also to maintain the moderation of rotation of the adjust member.
Generally, a brake device, which applies a brake force to a spool of a fishing reel, has a spring which is used not only to provide a click feeling in rotational operation of an adjust member during the adjustment of the braking force but also to prevent the loosening of the adjust member after the adjustment is achieved. A typical spring is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Kokoku Publication No. Hei. 1-44063. The spring is a partially cutaway annular, body and has a securing portion formed in the cutaway portion and an engaging projection on the top portion opposite from the cutaway portion.
However, the above-mentioned conventional partially cutaway annular spring has the following disadvantages: it is difficult to manufacture the above-mentioned conventional partially cutaway annular spring in such a manner that it has elasticity of a constant quality and, therefore, it is impossible to manufacture a brake device which has a constant quality in the click feeling. Also, there must be prepared a large number of springs before they are assembled during such preparation, the two ends thereof, serving as securing portions, are easy to get tangled with one another so that it is troublesome to take out the springs one by one quickly. Further, the cutaway shape of the spring makes it difficult to assemble the spring into the brake device. That is, the conventional spring cannot be assembled with good efficiency.